Every year on a very special night in February the Tim Tebow Foundation partners with churches from all around the world to host an amazing prom experience for individuals with special needs, called “Night to Shine”. It’s an incredible night of celebration including a red carpet entrance, a catered dinner, limousine rides, karaoke, gifts, respite for parents, and lots and lots of dancing. It all culminates in the crowning of each individual, as all attendees find that they are kings and queens at this prom and in God’s kingdom as well.

This year we were incredibly blessed to be invited to two of these phenomenal celebrations, both to celebrate with our daughter, and to share about our nonprofit and the work we are doing in our community to support families with children with special needs. It was such a beautiful night! First off it was magical watching our daughter, Abbey, get so excited to put on her makeup and finally put on the sequined dress that she’d been talking about for months. On arrival she lit up when she saw her respite worker waiting for her at the check in table. Her sweet care giver had agreed to come and be Abbey’s buddy for the night, along with her dad. Looking at them walking along together all dressed up, you would’ve thought they were just two college girls out for a night on the town. It made my heart so happy to see. Abbey thoroughly enjoyed her prom experience complete with a photo shoot and some time chatting with the Disney princesses, lots of dancing even making it at one point onto center stage for the boot scoot’n boogie, and of course the crowning ceremony where she received her sparkling tiara. It was truly a Night to Shine!

In the midst of all of this fun with my daughter, I was also able to visit a second amazing venue in our county and see many of the families in our community at this event as well. It was so wonderful to walk down another red carpet and under a brightly lit sign into a room full of exuberant dancing and smiling faces. The sheer joy you felt walking in was overwhelming. As I walked around the venue visiting it was wonderful to see so many parents, like me, enjoying the time to relax and reconnect in the respite spaces that were created for them. This was just another beautiful part of the Night to Shine event. Those that host the event not only celebrate the honored guests but the parents and caregivers as well. Parents and caregivers, who often don’t get very many breaks in life. What a gift it was to all.

In fact, the word gift is at the heart of it all. Each year this incredible event helps to highlight to our communities that our children are truly gifts from God. There are many who still say derogatory things in this world like the “R” word, and there are many who still want to “fix” autism, and there are many who would still recommend aborting our unborn children with chromosomal diagnoses, but there is a truth that all need to see. Our children are not mistakes or to be fixed as if not enough in some way. They are “gifts” to all. Our children bring others to laughter in the midst of having a bad day. Our children bring others to think of the world in a different way. And yes, our children bring others, and us as parents, continually to our knees in need of prayer for how to care for them, ultimately drawing us ever closer to God. Our children are a gift. They are fearfully and wonderfully made, and each has their own unique and beautiful God given purpose in this world. Our children are a gift. And I am so incredibly thankful to all of those who are able to see this truth and chose to celebrate this gift. Here is to all of the maintenance crews and decoration teams, to the cooks and the Disney characters actors, to the hair stylists and makeup artist, to the limousine drivers and DJs, and to the spectacular buddies and the admin personnel who helped to make this a night to shine for my daughter and for many others.